“The Fruit of the Spirit (Part 1 of 2)” - Galatians 5:16-26
Sermon series: Unstoppable Work of the Holy Spirit
Sermon Title: The Fruit of the Spirit (Part 1 of 2)
Scripture: Galatians 5:16-26
Introduction:
Knowing God does and can produce fruit in our lives. “Fruit” is God’s spiritual reference to what our lives produce out of walking with Him.
In Scripture, the use of “fruit” refers often to productivity: 1) “Fruit of her womb”: production of life within a woman (Deut 28:4, 18); 2) “Fruit of the labor”: output of work and employment (Psalm 128:2); or 3) “The fruit of our lips”: our speech through praise or worship to God (Hosea 14:2).
In today’s text, Paul is challenging us to look within and ask ourselves: “What kind of fruit are we producing in our lives?”. Similar to how God desires for us to be fruitful sons and daughters, we can strive also to produce good and luscious fruit with the power of the Holy Spirit – the kind which results from abiding in God and being led by Him.
Fruit has three characteristics:
Fruit is always visible
Fruit bears the character of the tree it stems from
Fruit never exists for itself
Paul speaks to the church of Galatia about two different types of fruit: the fruit (works) of the flesh and the fruit of the Spirit.
Overview:
Though Paul often begins his letters to the churches with greetings filled with encouragement and blessing, Paul’s short greeting to the Galatians is quickly interrupted with a rebuke. The Galatian church was holding onto the misconception that one receives the Spirit by good works and efforts in maintaining the Law. Instead of submitting to the Spirit of grace, the church in Galatia returned to their old ways of being legalistic: returning to the things of the law and the desires of the flesh.
In the same way, we can value the things on the outside more importantly than the faith we receive through the grace of God
Paul then explains the difference in the fruit one bears in living in the Spirit vs. the fruit borne through living in the flesh
Implications:
Fruit of the Spirit (5:22-23)
Contrary to what we may know, we don’t pursue or practice the fruits of the Spirit to receive them
The fruits are not something we produce by our efforts, for if so – the power of the cross and its ensuing grace would be void
We are incapable of producing good fruit on our own (Isaiah 5:1-7)
The presence of the fruits are instead an indicator of the Spirit’s work in our lives
For the fruits to be constant and consistent, we need the Spirit to be constantly and consistently working in our hearts
Works of the flesh (5:19-21)
Many of us may have lives characterized by the traits we read as works of the flesh
These fleshly fruits stem from a heart which is rooted in conceit and self-righteousness
Our sinful nature responds by engaging in the works of the flesh, because of the lack of satisfaction in not receiving what we believe we have earned or deserve
Until we seek and run towards the light of Christ, our self-sins will not be addressed under the power of the cross
The fruit of the Spirit encompasses a heart filled with the Spirit believing “I got more than I deserve”. As sons and daughters who live by the loving grace which Jesus has lavished on us, we are humbled in gratitude. Loving Jesus enables all the other fruits of the Spirit to fall into place – for all the other fruits follow after the first fruit – love.
Believing in the new life as sealed by His loving sacrifice on the cross for us, we come to learn, rest in, magnify, and reflect His love more and more.
Key Bible passages:
Galatians 3:1-5
Isaiah 5:1-7
Post-sermon questions:
Meditate: Do you see more of the fruits (works) of the flesh or the fruits of the Spirit in your present life?
Reflect: When you pray for the leading of the Spirit, do you look forward to the fellowship with God and Jesus, as led by the Spirit? If not, what is hindering your heart from trusting in Christ and his gospel and his promises for you?
Application: In which relationships with others are you challenged to reflect the fruits of the Spirit? Is it at work, at home, in your studies, to the community, or another area? Do the challenges stem from a place of indifference, bitterness, timidness, anxiousness, or other? Pray that as you walk by the Spirit (v16), you will be led by the Spirit (v18), you will bear fruits of the Spirit within these relationships (v22), and you will live in the Spirit and keep in step with the Spirit (v25).
